Pages

Sunday, 28 February 2016

I had intended to walk along the Swale on the chance the
cold weather last night would have pushed birds on to the river but a fishing
contest put paid to that idea. Instead I
walked up to see if there were any Grey Wagtails on the manure heaps on the
Thrintoft path (we birders do live lives of unalloyed glamour!).

There weren’t any Greys but there were a few Pied and half a
dozen Meadow Pipits...

The light was great so a pity there weren’t any wagtails as these
pictures I took last week in terrible light don’t do justice to this species.

In the paddock by the railway all five species of thrush
were feeding and I saw Treecreeper and Nuthatch in the trees by the water works.
This is the first time I’ve recorded Nuthatch in Morton and they do seem to be
on the increase in the parish. Five Teal sprang up off the ox-bow pool and a
group of moulting Reed Buntings were also here.

The small flood pool by the railway bridge looks good at the
moment and has had up to 20 Teal and Snipe on this week. It will be interesting
to see if this is still holding water when the waders start moving again. I
also saw Merlin again over here during the week and it may well still be in the
area.

On the way back I stopped off by the school to see if the
Redpoll flock was still around and there were about 35 birds present. Whilst I
was watching them this Buzzard flew low over St Helen’s Drive and on over the
school towards Ainderby.

Wednesday, 17 February 2016

I thought the cold snap would have driven birds on to the Swale
but it was quiet with the exception of 21 Cormorants, half a dozen Goosander
and three Snipe, my first of the year. The two Mute Swans were still present
and there were now a pair of Oystercatchers, the one bird here having caught
what I assume is a large freshwater mussel.

In the afternoon I visited the Magic Garden and spotted a Little Egret perched in a
distant tree.

I also saw a small, dumpy bird flying high, well above the
tree tops. It took me a while to identify it as a Little Owl because that’s the
first time I have seen one doing anything much more than bounding low across to
its next perch.

Later a Blackbird shot through some vegetation, straight at
me. In fact I had to duck (and felt the rush of its wings through what’s left of my
hair!). The cause soon appeared, a female Sparrowhawk which veered sharply off
as soon as it saw me. It did feel as though the Blackbird deliberately used me to
deflect the pursing hawk.

Sunday, 14 February 2016

A quick walk this morning around the Magic Garden and then
along Greenhills Lane. It was cold (the pond here was almost completely frozen)
but still bright and clear. Fantastic colours on this ash stump and surrounds...

I think the fungus here is Trametes versicolor (commonly
known as ‘Turkey Tail’)

Bird wise it was still pretty quiet. A Sparrowhawk flashed
through the scrub here, a pair of Jays were seen along with half a dozen
Goldcrests and a (beautifully camouflaged) Treecreeper...

Along Greenhills Lane there were two Buzzards and I could
hear good numbers of Tree Sparrows. They were typically jumpy and active but I
counted a flock of at least 86 birds, an excellent total.

As I stood trying to count the sparrows a Field Vole ran out
of the hedge and over my boot!

A total of 52 Stock Dove were counted flying over near the
ruined farmhouse and I also spotted my first Red-legged Partridge of the year in
the main field here.

Saturday, 13 February 2016

Very quiet today. Pick of a meagre list was this Grey
Wagtail on the Swale,

16 Teal on a little remnant of floodwater and 50+ Fieldfares
feeding in a riverside field. This was the first reasonable sized flock I’ve
seen ground feeding this winter. Typically they move from feeding in hedgerows in
the autumn and early winter to ground foraging after Christmas but presumably
the good berry crops have delayed this.

This lone Greylag has been haunting the same stretch of
riverbank for a couple of weeks now and I assume is probably injured but seems
to have survived comfortably and was feeding well.

This Sun Dog seen today is usually a sign of colder weather
coming so perhaps that will get things moving…

Sunday, 7 February 2016

A circuit from Ainderby through Langlands, along the river
and back home this morning totting up a respectable 52 species. Despite the
cold, Spring definitely felt in the air with a dozen Skylarks singing,
woodpeckers drumming...

And the first Oystercatcher on the river, almost a fortnight
earlier than last year.

I was pondering the lack of birds of prey sightings when a
Peregrine launched itself from a riverside tree. It did an effortless turn and
then powered back around the bend sending the local Rooks into a frenzy. I assume
this is the bird which has been seen intermittently along the river this
winter. Unfortunately I only managed one distant shot….

As I walked up towards the village a cracking male Merlin
drifted in and then powered low over the houses and away towards Thrintoft.
This is one of only a handful of sightings in the parish and a bird I didn’t
see last year. This is possibly the bird reported in their garden by a villager earlier this year.

Other sightings included six Goosander, Great Black-backed
Gull, two pairs of Grey Partridge, Grey Wagtail and a flock of 24 Lesser Redpoll in what
has been a really good winter for the species (but I still haven’t seen a
Linnet this year!)

" Men that undertake only one district are much more likely to advance natural knowledge than those that grasp at more than they can possibly be acquainted with ; every kingdom, every province, should have its own monographer."Gilbert White — The Natural History of Selborne.This blog covers the birds and other wildlife in the parish of Ainderby Steeple, North Yorkshire.